Web Site Reviews: September, 2005

-- School Library Journal, 9/1/2005

Community

Jackie Partch
Multnomah County (OR) Library
Community Club. teacher.scholastic.com/commclub. Scholastic. (Accessed 7/27/05).

K-Gr 2–Designed for emergent readers, this site works well for classroom use. Eight different community helpers from a variety of ethnic backgrounds are highlighted and include a veterinarian, librarian, pizza maker, firefighter, and pediatrician. Sound recordings are available in case the text is too difficult for youngsters. After reading each piece, kids can take a brief quiz and, if they pass, can print out a badge certifying their completion. The site's colorful photos may mean long load times for visitors using computers with slower connections. The teacher's guide is an excellent resource with its list of recommended books, three site-related lesson plans, links, and a list of relevant standards.

Community Helpers at Enchanted Learning. www.enchantedlearning.com/themes/communityhelpers.shtml. Enchanted Learning. (Accessed 7/28/05).

K-Gr 3–Teachers looking to enhance their units on communities will find plenty of material here. There are several printable books, including two about firefighters and one about community helpers that has puzzles, a connect-the-dots game, and a word search. You'll also find creative craft ideas, from a fire truck created from a cardboard box to fire-truck snacks made with graham crackers. A selection of worksheets emphasizing skills such as alphabetizing and a printable vehicle calendar are also included.

Kids and Community. www.planning.org/kidsandcommunity. American Planning Association. (Accessed 7/28/05).

Gr 2-6–Created by an organization for city planners, this site has information about the profession and activities to help students learn more about their communities. The interactive feature "Crazy City Stories" enables students to complete tales such as "How the Town of Meatball Springs Got Its Name," which they can then e-mail to a friend. In the "City Gallery," kids can share a picture and description of a "great place" or a "lousy place" in their town. "Word Town" helps youngsters write and post cinquains about their town, and the "Scavenger Hunt Scrapbook" suggests items they can look for in their community (such as a take-out menu from an ethnic restaurant). These activities are the site's strongest features, and they provide an opportunity for students to share their work online.

Welcome to the City. www.harcourtschool.com/activity/cities. Harcourt School Publishers. (Accessed 7/28/05).

Gr 2-5–Visitors to this site can tour several American cities while learning about three aspects of city life: celebrations, city workers, and shopping and eating. The first section highlightscommunity festivals in six cities, from Los Angeles's Mexican Independence Day to Washington, DC's International Children's Festival. The second section focuses on workers from five different cities, including employees at a car factory in Detroit and NASA Mission Control in Houston. The last segment features four notable commerce areas such as Chicago's Chinatown and Miami's Little Havana. After completing the tour, students can choose an activity such as making an advertisement for their community or putting together one of 11 online city puzzles (a Shockwave plug-in is required for this feature).

What Do I Do? www.sunshine.co.nz/nz/29/action/k_action.html. Sunshine Media. (Accessed 7/28/05).

PreS-Gr 2–Even the youngest students can use this colorful site to identify community helpers. Children are prompted by open-ended statements such as "I help sick people get better. I am a." Then they can click on the correct picture to provide an answer. An additional guessing element allows them to match the tools used by the various occupations. The site features a multicultural group of individuals, and tries to avoid gender stereotyping by providing pictures such as a female doctor and firefighter. A Shockwave plug-in is required.

Your Neighborhood. bensguide.gpo.gov/k-2/neighborhood/index.html. U.S. Government Printing Office. (Accessed 7/28/05).
Your Neighborhood. bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/neighborhood/index.html. U.S. Government Printing Office. (Accessed 7/28/05).

K-Gr 2/Gr 3-5–Part of Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids, these sites invite users to visit six important community institutions: the post office, police station, fire station, hospital, school, and library. The first URL is geared for kids in grades K-2 and briefly describes each agency. The second site, intended for grades 3-5, also covers the same six community staples, with longer text. Links to related government offices are included, and most of them are to sites especially for kids.

Service learning

Carolyn Kirio
Kapolei (HI) High School Library
Do Something: Young People Changing Their World. www.dosomething.org. Do Something. (Accessed 7/19/05).

Gr 5 Up–Created by the nonprofit organization Do Something, this Web site aims to "give young people the tools, inspiration, and opportunity to make a difference." It contains useful information to provide students and teachers with instructions on how to develop and maintain a service-learning course. Each of its three major programs ("Challenges," "Community Coaches," and the "BRICK Awards") is designed to foster youth leadership, citizenship, and character through examining problems focused on the areas of community building, health, and the environment. Innovative lessons dealing with fitness and financial education are included and of particular value are the curriculum ideas listed within the "Challenges" section that can be administered through school projects.

The Freechild Project: Connecting Young People and Social Change. www.freechild.org/. The Freechild Project. (Accessed 7/19/05).

Gr 8 Up–This nonprofit program encourages youngsters to seek empowered roles in their schools and communities. Visitors will find a multitude of examples, research, resources, and organizational listings that "support the actions, ideas, knowledge and wisdom of children and youth." Composed of three sections–"Issues," "Actions," and "Resources"–the site allows students and educators to navigate easily and retrieve information. By far the largest repository of projects, ideas, and organizational links, this resource provides more than adequate information to help students brainstorm ideas in order to start their own initiatives.

KIDS Consortium. www.kidsconsortium.org/index.html. The Corporation for National and Community Service. (Accessed 7/19/05).

Gr 8 Up–KIDS (Kids Involved Doing Service) as Planners is a nationally recognized service-learning model that promotes knowledge through community involvement. Originating in 1990, KIDS works with teachers, administrators, and students to address real challenges faced by their communities. Within the site, model projects tied to academic content and national standards are shared. All grade levels are represented, and the projects are tailored for age-level ability and interest. Providing a powerful hands-on approach with the town as their textbook, the ideas are intended to help students identify research and work to actively address problems within society. Since KIDS hails from Maine, many of the resources are specific to that state. However, because the issues addressed are more universal, all topics can easily be adapted to fit any geographic region.

Learn and Serve America: Corporation For National and Community Service. www.learnandserve.org. The Corporation for National and Community Service. (Accessed 7/19/05).

Gr 9 Up–A component of the USA Freedom Corps, "a White House initiative to foster a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility and help all Americans answer the President's Call to Service," this national grant program's reference site provides a broad collection of online tools and resources. Within the many links provided, visitors will find training tools, event calendars, models of effective practices, and materials available for loan from The Resource Center's library collection. The site is comprehensive, and readability and content tend to be geared for the serious researcher.

Service Learning:Making A Difference Washington http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/service. Peace Corps (Accessed 7/29/05)

Gr 9 Up– Although intended for secondary students and service-learning instructors/mentors, the information presented is applicable for all grade levels, K-12. An array of educational materials focuses on the introduction and implementation of service-learning concepts. Sponsored by the Peace Corps, The Coverdell World Wise Schools program "seeks to engage learners in an inquiry about the world, themselves and others to broaden perspectives, promote cultural awareness, appreciate global connections and encourage service." The site includes a student section (www.peacecorps.gov/wws/students/index.html) which promotes service learning and provides project ideas /resources to get started. Developed to connect to every age group (Kids World and Global Café), pages presented offer engaging stories, factoids and activities.More information is available via their home page.

ServiceLinkNW.org. psl.oditech.com. Evergreen School District and Project Service Leadership and Environmental Information Cooperative. (Accessed 7/19/05).

Gr 7 Up–This extensive site fosters learning through community service. Clustered into role categories (students, parents, educators, and community members), the information on the site is tailored to users' needs. Within each section, the material is presented as self-discovery lessons. As visitors progress through the links, they receive instruction on service-learning components, initiatives, and possible projects. Included are safety guidelines and a student release form, links to participating agencies, and a detailed project search form. A one-stop site for instructional needs, ServiceLinkNW is comprehensive and will assist in the implementation of service-learning initiatives for students.

TakingITGlobal, Inspire, Inform, Involve. www.takingitglobal.org/. TakingITGlobal. (Accessed 7/19/05).

Gr 7 Up–This global online community provides youth with the "inspiration to make a difference, a source of information on issues, opportunities to take action, and a bridge to get involved locally, nationally and globally." The site serves as a popular online workspace for young people who are interested in current events, connecting across cultures, and sharing their views on global issues. Through the discussion board and online resources, students can easily find ways to get involved. For educators, the "TIG Action Guide" provides related classroom lessons. The handouts will be useful for helping students find a focus for their own service-learning and community-outreach projects.